UFCW Wins at Second Quebec Wal-Mart

Posted to the IUF website 21-Jan-2005

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The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) have succeeded in organizing a second Quebec Wal-Mart store. UFCW Canada Local 501 was legally certified by the Quebec Labour Relations Commission on January 17 after a majority of workers at a Wal-Mart in Saint-Hyacinthe signed union membership cards in the course of an organizing drive. The Saint-Hyacinthe Wal-Mart now joins the Wal-Mart in Jonquiere, Quebec (where the union is attempting to negotiate a first collective agreement following recognition last August) as the only unionized Wal-Mart stores in North America.

“We’ll be sending a letter to Wal-Mart tomorrow,” said UFCW Canada Local 501 president Yvon Bellemare, “to set dates to begin bargaining. Before that we’ll be meeting with our members at the store to discuss terms of the contract. We expect to deliver our contract proposal to Wal-Mart sometime in the next two to three weeks.”

The UFCW Canada is currently seeking legal recognition at 12 other Wal-Mart locations in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Wal-Mart Canada employs some 60,000 workers at 235 stores.